A Time To Love: After Story
by Revengest
Summary: Nanoha and Fate have overcome the Jail Incident and are now dating. But what then? Follow the life of the two high schoolers as they make their way through high school together. Sequel to: A Time to Love.
1. 7 AM

**Hello, I'm back with a sequel for _A Time To Love_. Anyway, I hope you like this new instalment and would appreciate your feedback. Thanks.**

Summary: Nanoha and Fate have overcome the Jail Incident and are now dating. But what then? Follow the life of the two high schoolers as they make their way through high school together. Sequel to: A Time to Love.

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

_"Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Chapter: 7 AM**

**Nanoha**

*Brrring, Brrring*

The ear assaulting device rang loudly in the brunette's ear demanding immediate solving.

A stray hand reached out from under the covers searching the bed side table for the blasted object. Grasping it, Nanoha gripped it making sure it was what she was looking for. Feeling for the off switch she quickly flicked it off. As the hand retracted, the owner wondered why she always turned it on the night before. She was certain if she asked that her mother would be willing to wake her up. 7 AM was when she was to leave for the café anyway. She figured at some point her younger self had found that childish and resorted to this method. This painful method. She silently cursed her past self's stupidity.

She curled back into the sheets savoring its warmth and unwilling to let go. Funny how a bed seems most comfortable once you have to leave it. Lost in the sheet's comfort, Nanoha slowly drifted back to sleep.

*knock, knock*

"Nanoha, it's time to get up or you'll be late for school." Her mother's voice.

Pulling the sheets over her head she effectively muffled the noise coming from the door. That is until the noise came to her with an added shaking.

"Come on Nanoha, I don't want you to miss school." More shaking.

"Aren't you supposed to be leaving for work with dad?" she questioned in an attempt to get rid of the intruder. She rethought her earlier statement. Waking by yourself would be the best. Everything else seemed as if it was trying to deprive Nanoha of her bed. Absurd, but that's what it felt like.

"Yes, but I noticed you hadn't gotten up yet, so I came to check on you, only to find you lazing around in bed." She jested, starting to pull the covers away.

Nanoha held tight. She was determined to not lose this battle.

Sensing her daughter's determination, Mrs. Takamachi took a different approach. The feet. She tugged hard at the bottom of the sheet successfully revealing her child's feet.

And the tickling began.

Nanoha fought to keep her feet away from the onslaught. Kicking and giggling was all that came from her. But, she had a plan.

Slowly she sat up in bed. "Okay, okay, I'm up." She declared motioning to get up.

Mrs. Takamachi smiled, "Good, I'll see you in the afternoon." she quickly left the room and made her way into the car with Shiro. Nanoha heard the car pull away.

The brunette smiled knowing her plan had worked. She slipped back into bed and covered herself with sheet's warmth once again.

It was then that a vibration was heard. _You're kidding me. And just when I was getting comfortable_. She reached for her bedside table expecting it to be a text from her mother reminding her, yet again, not to be late. Opening the phone, she was met with a surprise, but not an unwelcomed one.

_Hey, I hope I'm not waking you up, though you might already be up... Anyway, I can't wait to see you at school today. I have something special to give you at lunch. -Fate_

Nanoha smiled. Perhaps school would be interesting today.

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**A/N: well there's the first chapter. Hope you liked it.**


	2. Attention

Summary: Nanoha and Fate have overcome the Jail Incident and are now dating. But what then? Follow the life of the two high schoolers as they make their way through high school together. Sequel to: A Time to Love.

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

_"Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Chapter: Attention**

**Nanoha**

"Nanoha!"

Nanoha sighed love stricken. Fate. The tall blonde with deep, mysterious, red, eyes. Eyes she wouldn't mind drowning in. Time couldn't possibly move fast enough for her. She wanted, _needed_, to see Fate right now.

"Nanoha!" the teacher, yelled snapping the textbook close with an audible thud, "I don't care how much you want to see Fate, but during my class I want your full attention."

The brunette snapped to attention this time. The teacher's words reminding her of when Fate had confessed to her. By the end of the day nearly everyone knew what had happened and by lunch the next day it was common knowledge at TSAB High School that Nanoha and Fate were an item. And there wasn't any doubt either. The quickest of glances would show you the depth of affection they had for each other even with their slight shyness towards the other.

"Sorry, Mr. Landy…" Nanoha replied sheepishly. She looked around the room. Most of the students were chuckling at her inattentiveness while others had amused smiles at how much the two loved each other.

"Try not to let it happen again. Right. Back to page 92. As it explains here…"

Nanoha tried. She really did try to pay attention this time. But when a gold blur caught her eye…well she couldn't help turning to get a better view. Normally, the blonde would be in class with her; sitting to her right in fact. Today, though, the blonde was helping the track and field team get ready for the meet this weekend.

TSAB was known for its track and field team. It was good enough to get to the national's tournament every year. It was because of this that the team got to skip the whole day on Thursday to prepare for Saturday. As well, it was why the blonde had been accepted onto the team despite missing tryouts. Saying that Fate was fast wouldn't be an exaggeration, but it would be an understatement. Fate was a loose cannon when you put her on the track; a total speed demon.

Nanoha watched as the blonde practised with the others showing better techniques for coming out of the blocks to proper pacing during longer races. But really, Nanoha wasn't paying attention to that. It was the blonde she was giving her attention to. The way her hair moved in the slight breeze, the small smile that graced her lips while talking, to the soft laughter the brunette wished she could hear right now. That's what got her attention.

She stole a look at the clock. _Thirty more minutes._ Thirty more minutes till Lunch. Then she could meet up with the blonde who always captured her attention.

Mr. Landy glanced at the brunette, letting out a quiet sigh before he continued reading the text. _"It's pretty much hopeless now. The blonde's got her full attention,"_

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**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Another short one, but the next is definitely longer. Right now it's about 1000 words long. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Lunch

Summary: Nanoha and Fate have overcome the Jail Incident and are now dating. But what then? Follow the life of the two high schoolers as they make their way through high school together. Sequel to: A Time to Love.

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

_"Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Chapter: Lunch **

**Fate and Nanoha**

Fate waited patiently on the roof for Nanoha. The morning had been extremely tiring for her. Every track and field member seemed to need her help for something or other even if they weren't in the same event as the blonde. The blonde couldn't wait for the bell to ring. She liked helping people. It was in her nature, but there were times where she couldn't take anymore. The only thing that really kept her from just losing her cool was that she would be meeting Nanoha at lunch with her surprise.

She had met with the brunette briefly this morning at the entrance gate before being dragged away by the track team. Honestly, Fate was a little upset with how quickly their time had ended, but was sure Nanoha understood. In fact, it was because of this track and field thing that she had put together a lunch for the two of them.

The blonde had wanted to do something special and this was what she came up with. Though, she couldn't take all the credit. Her mother had guided her through most of it. But that didn't matter. What mattered is the actual time she would get to spend with her favourite brunette.

*step, step* Fate turned around hearing the gentle steps coming up the stairs. She straightened her uniform brushing off invisible dust; she wanted to look her best for her princess. The blonde quickly strode over to the lunch spot and pulled the blanket taught. Satisfied that everything was in place, she stood up and placed herself in front of the door.

Slowly the door creaked open to reveal Nanoha. She had a small happy smile on her face and it grew bigger once her eyes settled on the blonde.

Fate swore her heart rate jumped and she had to swallow to keep her composure. She felt like such a newlywed. Gently, she raised her hand out to her roof top companion and held it in place waiting for the brunette to take it. She did with much eagerness. Fate clasped her hand tightly, yet softly, and led her to the spread blanket. She held her hand as Nanoha slowly sat down. Afterwards, she joined her on the blanket.

There was a moment of peaceful silence as the two enjoyed finally being in each other's company undisturbed.

Nanoha was the first to speak. "I was really excited for today once you sent me that text this morning. I was originally planning on not coming to school today, but after I got that text I couldn't not come and miss out on this surprise," the brunette eyed the box expectantly. "and you."

Fate smiled at Nanoha's happiness. It sent her flutters knowing that she had been able to convince the brunette to come to school today. "Yeah, I wanted to make something special being our one week anniversary," Reaching over, Fate carefully opened the tall box and took out all its smaller boxes arranging them neatly on the sheet. The food was a little under quality, but Fate was only a beginner. Nanoha loved it either way.

"Goodness, Fate, this is amazing!" Nanoha exclaimed taking everything in. All the food items seemed to hold a sparkling glow.

"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit. Mom helped me with most of it," she stated reaching over to grab the chopsticks she handed one set to Nanoha. "Well then…let's eat," Fate reached out grabbing some for herself.

The two sat together sharing the large lunch and discussing how each other's day had went. Nanoha told Fate about her distractedness in math class and Fate had a laugh at that. She was greatly flattered.

Fate had a run in with a javelin starter and with the way he talked so animatedly, you would've guessed he didn't know that pole in his hand is a very reliable weapon of war. Fate couldn't recall a time in her life that she was ever so scared. Luckily, she'd been ushered away by the captain to help out other people. Thinking back, it was probably because the captain hadn't wanted to lose one of his star runners. Nanoha was amused by Fate story, but was already planning this guy's demise. No one threatens her Fate and gets away with it.

The two continued to eat in relative silence. The two had only recently gotten together and the awkwardness was still there. The hint of disbelief at the fact that they were actually together was surely evident.

"Hey, Nanoha, can you do me a favor?" Fate timidly asked.

"Sure, what is it?" the brunette replied with a slight tilt of her head. Nanoha knew how Fate would react to that and she found it quite cute.

Fate cheeks instantly reddened at Nanoha's posture before quickly looking away. She picked up some food with her chopsticks in attempt to hide her blush. Once she was sure it had dissipated some, she turned back to her lover. "Close your eyes,"

"Close my eyes?" a hint of confusion. Nanoha shrugged and simply closed her eyes. She trusted Fate.

The blue-eyed girl was left sitting there for a while and for a moment she was worried Fate might have left. She was reassured, however, when she heard a faint rustling noise; she guessed that was the blanket. Next was the sound of moving lunch boxes and she felt Fate shift closer, real close. She could hear and feel the blonde's breath and the warmness that came with it. A small excitedness soon became unbearably big as she knew what was to come. She leaned closer and was met with a warm squishiness. She felt an added pressure from the other end and, with no hesitation, she opened her mouth and moved her tongue forward…*plop*

Her eyebrows arched. _Did Fate's tongue just fall off?_ She opened her eyes to confirm her absurd suspicion and was met with a smiling Fate with tongue still intact. _Then what's in my mouth?_ She promptly grabbed a napkin and spit whatever it was out. She was met with a tiny octopus with an even tinier face smiling at her. It had a black strip around the top as if resembling a chef. Nanoha turned back to face Fate about to ask, when she noticed the upset look on her girlfriend.

"Was it that bad?" Fate asked with a slightly depressed undertone.

Nanoha was confused. She looked back at the picnic type spread to give herself a moment to understand what was meant by that statement. It was then her sky colored eyes landed on one of the sections of the boxes. There sat five other sausages that look exactly like hers. She flushed. That explained the extra squishiness of the 'kiss'.

"No, no, it was good actually. I was just surprised is all. I was expecting something else…"

"Oh…I see… Did you want rice instead?" Fate questioned; Nanoha's actual meaning of her words flying right over her head.

Nanoha smiled at Fate's obliviousness and gently shook her head no. Her rosy cheeks still there.

Fate looked worried at Nanoha. Had she done something wrong. Maybe her sausages really were bad? She knew she shouldn't have added that extra spice. She turned to apologize when she noticed Nanoha's blush. Realization hit her like a freight train. She smiled.

"Nanoha, do you want to kiss?" The blonde asked directly.

The brunette was taken aback by the suddenness of the question that she couldn't help but stammer a little bit. "What?! Um…I don't know…This'll be our 2nd time and all…yes…" she finished meekly. She wouldn't deny it. It was what she truly wanted.

Fate smiled at Nanoha's jumble of words and slowly shifted closer. They brought their lips closer and stared deeply into each other's eyes. Nanoha swallowed and closed the gap as well. This was it their second kiss…*bam*

"So this is where you guys were! We've looked all over for you!" Arisa exclaimed plopping down next to the two.

At the sudden noise the two had instantly separated embarrassed to be caught kissing each other. Nanoha was mumbling under her breath about her missed opportunity while the blonde composed herself, though it was obvious she had wanted it too.

"You can't blame the two lovebirds for wanting some alone time, Arisa," Suzuka teased figuring out what had, or rather, was about to happen. She giggled a little. The two were so cute, yet so innocent.

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**A/N: There's the next chapter. Hope you like it.**

**And here's a preview of the next chapter as well. Just though I might post this excerpt since I've started working on the next chapter already.**

Really, it shouldn't have ended up like this; coming to the point where they wouldn't eat lunch with each other the next day, speak or cast a glance at each other. It was unbelievable considering how good their relationship was just yesterday. Perhaps it would've been avoided if they'd taken a moment to share both sides of the story rather than drawing imaginary conclusions. Perhaps then they could finally be sharing that kiss they had missed out on yesterday on the roof.


	4. Fight Part 1

Summary: Nanoha and Fate have overcome the Jail Incident and are now dating. But what then? Follow the life of the two high schoolers as they make their way through high school together. Sequel to: A Time to Love.

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

_"Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

* * *

**Chapter: Fight Part 1**

**Nanoha **

Really, it shouldn't have ended up like this; coming to the point where they wouldn't eat lunch with each other the next day, speak or cast a glance at each other. It was unbelievable considering how good their relationship was just yesterday. Perhaps it would've been avoided if they'd taken a moment to share both sides of the story rather than drawing imaginary conclusions. Perhaps then they could finally be sharing that kiss they had missed out on yesterday on the roof.

**Yesterday After Lunch…**

After the sudden interruption the two had experienced, they finished their lunch together with their friends. When the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, the group went their separate ways; Fate to the track team, and Nanoha, Suzuka, and Arisa to their next class.

Drama was their next class and as chance would have it, they had a substitute. Substitute in drama equals a free period. Score! The students wasted no time at all leaving the class. They'd be good though; no reason to destroy the opportunity. While some crossed the street to buy a few snacks and others joined other option classes, Nanoha opted to go see her blonde outside.

She quickly made her way outside deciding to waste no time at all. She reached her shoe locker and opened it switching out her shoes. As she headed for the door, she heard another locker opening. Thinking back now she should have just left. She was the class president and should be setting a good example by not getting caught skipping class. That and what she saw started the doubt that would later lead to disaster.

The brunette circled around to get a good vantage point. Poking her head around, she spotted who she was looking for. Fate was changing her shoes probably to get some practise in today. As she was putting back her school shoes, though, a small pink envelope fell out and drifted to the floor. The blonde looked at it curiously and bent down picking it up. She turned it this way and that giving Nanoha the chance to see the styled writing on the front and a small heart-shaped sticker sealing the back. Nanoha's eyes narrowed.

The sky-eyed girl expected Fate to throw it out and not even bother reading its contents. She already had a girlfriend and Nanoha wasn't going to give up that position anytime soon. Yet the blonde's actions surprised her. _She opened it! Why's she opening?_ Nanoha asked herself. She watched as Fate read it.

Nanoha saw it. If she'd blinked she would've certainly missed it, but it was unquestionably there. For a split second, the slightest of moments, there was a smile on Fate's lips. Obviously something in the letter had triggered it. Rage quickly boiled. The brunette already had it planned. Find out who sent it. Make sure she regretted it for the rest of her life. Then confront Fate about her smile at someone _else's_ compliments. It was completely unforgiveable and would be dealt with quickly. Nanoha couldn't stand the thought of Fate liking another.

"Hey Fate," A girl came running up. She had long, dark purple hair and a dark blue ribbon holding it in place. "Did you like it?"

Fate flipped the card over in her hand and twirled it about before looking back up and replying: "Yes, it was very good,"

Nanoha was actually surprised how quickly the first part of her plan had been solved. Ginga. She recognised the purplette. She was in her drama and it was no mystery who Ginga was looking at intently during their parody of Magical Lyrical Girls. The brunette continued to watch as the two talked. She was too busy planning Ginga's demise to listen to what they were talking about. She slipped out without the other two noticing.

It was times like this that Nanoha was glad that classes were so long. It gave her more time to watch Fate's traitorous behavior. Her anger only grew as Fate seemed too happy, in her opinion, with Ginga. Ginga was a runner as well, meaning she would be able to use Fate's advice effectively. Nanoha watched with growing annoyance as Fate stood behind fellow runner (too close for Nanoha's liking) grasping her arms and moving them for her to show her the best way to prevent too much drag from them. _Not too close to your body that it impedes movement of the torso, but not too far out that it takes too much energy to move._ Nanoha repeated by heart remembering the time Fate had asked if she would wait for her afterschool while she was practising. _She could have explained it verbally just as easily!_ Nanoha explained to herself. She didn't know who was worse right now, Fate for initiating the contact, or Ginga for allowing it to continue. The brunette strode away. She couldn't watch this anymore.

"Thanks for the help Fate," Ginga called as she headed to the locker room to change. She went all out in practise and her body wouldn't be able to handle Saturday if she didn't quit now. Ginga hummed a light tune as she descended the stairs and opened her locker. Grabbing her stuff, she exchanged the clothes for her gym ones and shut the door locking it. The purplette smiled at the memory of her one-on-one practise with Fate. It really helped out her technique. She turned around to exit when she heard someone say: "I see you liked your training with Fate."

Ginga whipped around to face the direction of the voice to find a brunette leaning against a row of lockers. "Nanoha, what are you doing here?" she asked stepping closer.

"I came to tell you I don't appreciate what you did." Nanoha pushed herself up and covered the distance to Ginga looking her straight in the eye.

"Okay…" Ginga arched an eyebrow in confusion. What had she done recently that Nanoha wouldn't approve of? She recalled her practise. She guessed Nanoha had wanted to spend that time with the blonde "Oh, I see. Sorry, I only did that because we would meet each other on Saturday."

Nanoha's eye twitched. _Meet each other?! Come to think of it, Fate hasn't invited me to watch her on Saturday yet. Was she planning on having this meeting in secret?!_ "Well I'd like for it to stop!" The brunette shouted storming out of the locker room. She had a bone to pick with a blonde.

The brunette spotted the blonde sitting on a nearby bench; a towel laid out on her face. Making her way forward she noticed a small smile played on Fate's lips as she sat there. She scowled. She abruptly threw the towel off.

Fate sat up from her relaxing position and looked around dazed for a moment before noticing Nanoha glaring at her. "Uh…hi…?" Fate answered timidly still surprised.

The sky-eyed teenager continued to glare at the blonde. "How could you?!" Nanoha finally said.

"How could I what?" Fate asked back.

"Your 'training' with Ginga! I saw all of it!" Nanoha yelled back arms thrust out angrily in the air.

Fate's face took on a different emotion. She stood up. "Nanoha, I can't believe you! I was only practising with her. You don't have to get uptight about it. Is it bad that I want our team to win on Saturday?! Geez, I thought you were above this," she huffed staring hard at the brunette.

"Yeah, but you didn't need to be so touchy feely with her," she shot back.

"What?! I'm not allowed to simply touch anyone. It was only for, like, ten seconds! It was just a demonstration!"

Nanoha changed topics seeing as she wasn't quite winning this side of the argument. "What about the letter in your locker?"

"What letter…" Fate took a moment to look back remembering what Nanoha was referring to. "It was just…a letter…" She hesitated in her response.

The sky-eyed brunette saw through her and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "It wasn't _just_ a letter. I'm certain it was a _love_ letter," she put extra emphasis on the 'love' part. "And not just from anyone either."

"It's not from Ginga," Fate quickly shot the idea down knowing where that would go.

"Then who was it from? And why were you smiling at it?" Nanoha accused.

Fate didn't reply. She simply looked away not daring to look the other girl in the eyes.

"Fate…" she pressed.

"It doesn't matter. It's not important."

"Fate, it's important to me," she near pleaded with the blonde. Right now she didn't care about how Fate had acted with Ginga. She just wanted to be assured that the blonde wasn't cheating on her or anything. True it had only been a week since they started dating, but Nanoha was a little frightened of the fact that maybe the blonde had found someone else. And her not telling who the letter was from wasn't helping Nanoha's fears any.

"Can't you just trust me?"

"I only want to know who it's from."

"Why, so you can scare them off like Ginga?! It's not only about you, you know!"

*SLAP*

The two teenagers were still at the resounding noise. Nanoha looked down at her hand. She couldn't believe she had actually hit Fate. Something about what Fate had said just triggered it inside her. True the blonde was being evasive with her questions, but that didn't serve as reason to hit her. And she knew the blonde knew how much she hated people talking about her 'anger' issues and how extreme they could be at times.

The inflicted area had immediately turned red and taken on the basic shape of a hand print. Nanoha watched as Fate moved her left hand to cradle her cheek. She flinched as the two came in contact. It was definitely a hard hit. Red eyes peered into blue looking for a reason. The brunette looked back into those eyes looking for what the blonde felt. What she saw would stick with her for an eternity. Disbelief and hurt were prominent, but the one Nanoha couldn't and would never be able to handle was the hate held in them. It was well hidden, yet still clearly there.

"Fate…I didn't mean to…I'm sor-" She was silenced by Fate's step back and her red eyes downcast: thinking, contemplating, unsure. She turned around abruptly and walked away. Not a word was said and that was what Nanoha feared most. With no words she couldn't guess what the blonde was thinking. What she was feeling. What she thought of her now. With all those unknowns she didn't have the courage to go after the retreating blonde.

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**A/N: So Nanoha and Fate had their first fight. I hope it sounded realistic enough. This chapter you got to see Nanoha's view on things. Next chapter will be Fate's view. Anyway thanks for reading.**


	5. Fight Part 2

Summary: Nanoha and Fate have overcome the Jail Incident and are now dating. But what then? Follow the life of the two high schoolers as they make their way through high school together. Sequel to: A Time to Love.

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

_"Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

* * *

**Thank you to all who have reviewed. I appreciate it.**

* * *

**Chapter: Fight Part 2**

**Fate**

Really, it shouldn't have ended up like this; coming to the point where they wouldn't eat lunch with each other the next day, speak or cast a glance at each other. It was unbelievable considering how good their relationship was just yesterday. Perhaps it would've been avoided if they'd taken a moment to share both sides of the story rather than drawing imaginary conclusions. Perhaps then they could finally be sharing that kiss they had missed out on yesterday on the roof.

**Yesterday After Lunch…**

After the sudden interruption the two had experienced, they finished their lunch together with their friends. When the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, the group went their separate ways; Fate to the track team, and Nanoha, Suzuka, and Arisa to their next class.

The blonde waved goodbye to the trio and hurried downstairs. The last time she was late for a practise she'd gotten a sound scolding from the captain. She did not want a repeat of that. Besides being embarrassing, the captain had followed her around all afternoon during practise to make sure she was meeting her quota and wasn't slacking. Fate decided now was a great time to get a few runs in for practise and to make sure she was where she needed to be in terms of time.

In her rush down the stairs she failed to notice another girl in front of her. The blonde crashed right into her. Luckily they were already on the last few steps so they didn't fall very far. What they did manage to do with the limited air time they had was to land on top of each other. At that moment Fate felt a really bad case of déjà vu. Fate was certain this had happened before, yet she couldn't remember who it was with.

The blonde got up and reached out to help out the other person. The fallen person took her hand and used the help to stand up. Fate recognised her as Ginga. She was a starter in the same race as herself: 2000m. She'd only recently come to know the girl well and that started once she joined the track team.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's okay, I understand." Ginga replied.

The two stood there for a few moments not knowing what to say. They had never had reason to talk before. Fate broke the silence. "You are going to practise too?"

"Yeah, just want to make sure I can run the whole thing since I usually do 1000m."

"Oh is that so? Would you like some help? I could give you some pointers if you'd like"

"Really! That'd be really helpful, thanks!" The two headed to the change rooms. Ginga finished changing first and headed up to start stretching and practise her starts for 100m as well.

Once Fate finished she headed up stairs to her shoe locker. She passed by the track and saw Ginga practising her starts. _She's very good at staying low and gradually, but quickly, coming to full speed._ She thought to herself. Fate continued to her locker and opened it taking out her running shoes. As she put her school shoes back, a small pink envelope fell out and drifted to the floor. The blonde looked at for a moment before bending down to pick it up. She flipped it this way and that getting a good look at it. On the front was her name written in big curly font. Sealing the back was a small, red heart. She turned it to the back and opened it. She had a feeling who the sender was from. She only wanted to confirm her suspicion. In fact, this little envelope reminded her of who her déjà vu had actually happened with.

_Roses are red,_

_Violets aren't blue (they're closer to purple)_

_I was just wondering_

_How are you?_

_~ Hayate_

Fate smiled. Hayate had a weird sense of humor. It'd a while since she had talked to the brunette. Hayate had been busy as class president. And she had also been avoiding herself not wanting to cause unnecessary conflict between two brunettes. The blonde decided she would make some time to talk to the brunette sometime soon.

"Hey, Fate," The blonde looked up to see Ginga running to her. "Did you like it?"

Fate fumbled with the letter still smiling at words. "Yes, it was very good. You're very good at the 100m. Any reason you're doing 2000m as well?"

"Yeah, some other girl said she wouldn't be able to make it on Saturday and so she asked me."

"Huh, interesting. Anyway, want to go now?"

The two left for the track and started with some stretches before taking to the track. The duo set a good pace and started jogging. While  
doing so, Fate noticed how Ginga moved her arms. It was excessive. The blonde guessed it was how she ran in 100m, but in 2000m you'd need to conserve every bit of energy you had.

The blonde slowed and waited for Ginga to do the same. She showed Ginga the proper technique. After a few tries Ginga was getting it, but would eventually return to old habits. Seeing as explaining verbally wasn't helping, Fate took the initiative. She stood behind the purplette and grasped her hands. She deliberately went through the motions and in her concentration on it, she missed the blush that graced the other cheeks. Perhaps if she'd noticed it, things would have been different.

"Thanks for the help Fate," Ginga called as she headed to the locker room to change.

"See ya," Fate replied to the retreating form. Fate dropped into a nearby bench. She grabbed her water bottle and squirted its content into her mouth. Next, the blonde brought her towel to her face and wiped some of the perspiration that had collected there. She decided to leave it there as it provided a cool layer over her face.

She thought back to her practise session with Ginga. It'd been a great learning experience for the both of them. Watching Ginga do her sprints allowed her to gain some new techniques for sprinting at the end of a race. Most helpful indeed.

"Fate?" The blonde lifted her towel to look at her new company. Standing above her was Ginga. "I enjoyed our practise. Thanks for the pointers,"

"Thanks to you to. I learned a lot as well. Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

"I'd love to, but…I'm not sure your girlfriend would approve." Ginga replied vaguely as well as a little sadly.

"Nanoha? Why wouldn't she?"

"I met her in the locker room. She didn't seem too happy. I think she wanted to spend some time with you. Anyway, see you later."

"Yeah…see you later." Fate was disappointed. She had fun practising with Ginga. She loved running, and practising with Ginga gave her that opportunity. Ginga may not have been as fast as her in long distance, but when it came to sprints, Fate had to give it her all to stay ahead. And even then Ginga was still able to creep by. She lay back down and returned the towel to her face. She smiled remembering the challenge Ginga had presented her with. She'd have to talk to Nanoha about this.

Fate jerked up at her towel being thrown off. Regaining her bearing, she looked up into hard blue eyes. "Uh…hi…?" Was the only thing she could manage.

Nanoha continued to glare down at her. "How could you?!"

"How could I what?" Fate asked back. Fate thought back to anything she could have done wrong and nothing came up.

"Your 'training' with Ginga! I saw all of it!" Nanoha yelled back arms thrust out angrily in the air.

Fate's face shifted to one of anger as she remembered what Ginga had told her. She felt Nanoha had no right deny Ginga time with her. She stood up towering above the brunette. "Nanoha, I can't believe you! I was only practising with her. You don't have to get uptight about it. Is it bad that I want our team to win on Saturday?! Geez, I thought you were this," She huffed. Honestly, she thought Nanoha was taking this too seriously. Ginga and her were only practising; nothing more.

"You didn't need to be so touchy feely with her," the sky-eyed girl shot back.

_Touchy feely? What does that mean…_It only took her a moment to remember what Nanoha was referring to. _She really is taking this too seriously._ "What?! I'm not allowed to simply touch anyone. It was for, like, ten seconds! It was just a demonstration!"

"What about the letter in your locker?"

"What letter…It was just…a letter…" The blonde wasn't sure how good Nanoha's relationship with Hayate was. Fate would admit to purposely avoiding Hayate, but it was only to avoid the chance of conflict. She decided to it was better to not tell Nanoha the sender. Though she did wonder how Nanoha found out about that.

Fate watched as Nanoha narrowed her eyes at her. It was obvious that she was suspicious of that answer. "It wasn't _just_ a letter. I'm certain it was a _love_ letter. And not just from anyone either."

"It wasn't from Ginga," Fate quickly shot the idea down knowing where that would go. She wasn't going to let Nanoha pin that on the purple-haired girl. She knew what Nanoha was capable of when she was angry and Ginga did not deserve it.

"Then who was it from? And why were you smiling at it?" Nanoha accused.

Fate didn't reply. She simply looked away not daring to look the other girl in the eyes. In the back of her mind she knew she was hurting Nanoha by not telling her, but she was sure Nanoha would be more upset if she told her.

"Fate…" she pressed.

"It doesn't matter. It's not important," she replied.

"Fate, it's important to me," Nanoha pleaded with her.

"Can't you just trust me?"

"I only want to know who it's from."

"Why, so you can scare them off like Ginga?! It's not only about you, you know!" Fate didn't know how. It just slipped out. She couldn't believe she said that, yet at that time she didn't regret it one bit. The blonde was just angry at how seriously Nanoha was taking this and how she had lost a running partner because of her. Nanoha was great; perfect actually, but she didn't find the same fun in running as she did. It was why the blonde had never asked her to practise with her. With Ginga she had a person who felt the same about running.

*SLAP*

The two teenagers were still at the resounding noise. She knew what she said would hurt the brunette. It was one of her pet peeves; how people talked about her slight anger issues. Usually it would end with Nanoha walking away pouting and in extreme cases she wouldn't talk to the person for a whole day. But she'd never thought that Nanoha had it in her to hit her.

The inflicted area immediately turned red and taken on the basic shape of a hand print. Fate moved her hand to cradle her left cheek. She flinched at the contact. It was definitely a hard hit. She turned her red eyes to blue looking for a reason. The pain in her cheek distracted her and a small flicker of hate grew in her.

"Fate…I didn't mean to…I'm sor-" Fate took a step back; red eyes downcast. She stayed a moment and walked away. She was too angry right now to confront the brunette.

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**A/N: And there's Fate's view on things. Thanks for reading.**


	6. Trust

Summary: Nanoha and Fate have overcome the Jail Incident and are now dating. But what then? Follow the life of the two high schoolers as they make their way through high school together. Sequel to: A Time to Love.

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

_"Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Chapter: Trust**

**Fate**

**The next Morning...**

"So it's agreed then? We'll be holding the fundraiser next month."

The brown-haired teenager yawned and leaned back in her seat stretching her arms as far as they could go. If there was anything she hated it would have to be these morning meetings mandatory for the class president or vice-president. _Now I'm wishing that I did ask Nanoha to take this meeting_.

Yesterday, Hayate had heard about the meeting and was dead set on avoiding it. In the past, all the meetings had been meaningless and nothing new. She'd been to the past three, and decided to give this one to her vice president. Hayate had come across the other brunette in the hallways after school. As she approached the girl she noticed a slight puffiness to her eyes that signaled she'd been crying and looked as if she could start again at any moment. The president had decided it better to leave the girl alone.

The meeting ended early allowing for half an hour before class started to do as the students pleased; within reason. _Might as well put my stuff away in the classroom._ Hayate strolled over to her classroom and slid the door open. Taking in the room, what the brunette found truly surprised her. There, sitting at her desk staring out the window, was Fate. The blonde turned at the noise from the door and Hayate's breath was taken away. Yet something else besides the blonde's beauty got to her. Fate seemed different somehow. Since Fate and Nanoha had gotten together, they'd always arrived at the same time. Now, though, it was only the blonde. Strange.

She walked over to her desk next to Fate and took her seat. For a moment the two just looked at each other. It'd been awhile since they'd talked to each other. Hayate had understood it was because Fate didn't want to upset Nanoha and she was okay with that. If it was her she wouldn't want Fate talking too much to Nanoha; she'd certainly be jealous.

It was Fate that started the conversation. "I got your letter. It was very...interesting..."

"But it's true. They are more violet than blue. It's why their called 'violets' not 'blues'."

Fate chuckled at the response. Hayate was always funny one way or the other. The brunette picked up on the blonde's laugh. While it was rare for Fate to have a full on laugh, she did always have a laugh that reached her eyes. This time it didn't. She knew something was up. First Nanoha, now Fate. Something was up. "What happened?" She was straight to the point.

Fate looked back at her surprised though moments later she relaxed her face. "We had an argument." the blonde turned away in an obvious show that she didn't want to talk about it. Unfortunately, the action only prompted more questions as Hayate spotted a faint outline on the blonde cheeks. Her hands formed into a fist.

"She hit you," There was no reason to form it into a question. It was obvious and Fate's lack of response was answer enough for her. "Why?"

"We had an argument," was the simple response.

"But that doesn't give her a reason to hit you," Hayate raised her voice slightly. Her words to Nanoha from a while back rang in her head. _"I still like Fate, but I'm happy that she's happy. That being said, if you hurt her or make her sad, I'll never forgive you."_ She had meant 'hurt her' as emotionally. She never thought Nanoha had it in her to hit people much less Fate. Obviously, she was wrong.

With hard eyes, Hayate continued looking at the blonde who was still turned away. Though the eyes weren't for her; it was for Nanoha. Thinking of the name now she remembered a crying Nanoha in the hallways. Why was she crying? Had she regretted what had happened? Or had Fate said something hurtful? Regarding the blonde she thought it nearly impossible, but people could change when pushed too far. "You aren't going to tell me more, are you?"

"We had an argument." Hayate could see it in her eyes. Fate was regretting ever having this fight. The brunette could tell that Fate wished Nanoha was here with her. The brunette couldn't take it. Sure she was happy for Fate, but she loved her. She stood up abruptly and made her way to the door.

"Then I'll find out myself."

**Nanoha**

Nanoha had problems sleeping that night. On her way home she had held in all her tears (or at least tried to), but as soon as she walked through the door she couldn't do it. She had hurt her. She'd hurt Fate. And there was nothing she could do to undo it either.

The brunette was glad her parents were still at the bakery so she didn't have to deal with them knowing. She wasn't ready to tell people yet. From there she went straight to bed not bothering with her homework. She was feeling too much right now.

During the night she would fall in and out of sleep. The sound of the slap she'd given and the hurt look on Fate's face stuck in her mind as if it were glued there. Nanoha decided she needed to fix this. They needed to fix this. She couldn't live with this guilt for much longer. She only hoped Fate would forgive her for her actions.

**Morning…**

Nanoha got ready for the school the same as always. The only difference to her routine was the lack of a text this morning. Fate and she would always exchange a text in the morning even if it was just a measly hello. With no text, Nanoha knew Fate wouldn't walk with her to school. She sighed. If anything it would give her more time to think of what to say.

**School…**

If there was anything Nanoha didn't expect it was this. The blue-eyed girl was being dragged through the school by Hayate. And it was certainly making a scene. She was about to oppose what Hayate was doing, but one look at the expression on her face told her it wouldn't be a good idea.

Hayate eventually brought the fellow brunette to the library. There she let go and rounded on Nanoha. "What happened," she asked steely. There was no room for excuses or lies. Hayate knew what she wanted and she was going to get that.

The brunette could sense the determination in those eyes and knew she had probably seen Fate earlier today. She hesitated before answering, "We had a…fight. But this is between us and I'm planning on fixing it."

Hayate laughed bitterly, "You're just like her. She wouldn't tell me anything," She paused. "I don't like seeing her upset. I don't want her to be upset…and it's the same with her. She already regrets whatever happened between you two. I can see it in her eyes."

Nanoha knew she had something the other one wanted. And Hayate wanted it bad. It served her as a reminder that she did have something precious and she should understand that. Perhaps Fate just wanted some space at the time. Really, thinking back now, she knew she had been possessive. Too much. A lot. So Fate wanted to hang out with someone else for a while. It didn't mean she didn't like her. In fact, Fate loved her a lot if she was willing to give up time with other people just for her. That was total dedication.

A light flicked on in Nanoha's head. And in that moment she felt utterly stupid. "Hayate, did you send a letter to Fate,"

"Yeah, I did," Hayate eyes narrowed in suspicion. But that answer was all Nanoha needed to understand everything. Fate knew her and Hayate weren't on good terms yet and was probably hiding the letter for that reason assuming she would get the wrong impression.

She knew what she had to do, what she had to say. She made to leave the library and find the blonde. Just then her phone rang with a new text.

**Fate**

Fate watched Hayate go with some concern. It was obvious, quite plain really, where the brunette was going. But she found herself not moving to stop the inevitable. She wanted to be angry at her; at Nanoha. But she just couldn't hold onto the feeling long enough. It slipped away and slowly transformed into regret. Nanoha didn't deserve that.

_"Why, so you can scare them off like Ginga?! It's not only about you, you know!"_

Gosh, she knew how much Nanoha hated people talking about her 'anger' issues. No one deserved a blow that low. And really Nanoha had just been asking a simple question. If it was from some random person perhaps the question would actually be unreasonable as she had perceived it, but this was Nanoha, her _girlfriend_. A bit of jealousy was to be expected and accepted. The blonde should have just explained everything from Ginga to Hayate. The two brunettes would have to make-up someday and sooner would be better; preferred actually. Hayate was a good friend – a best one in fact - and Nanoha was her girlfriend.

She decided she needed to apologize and get their relationship back on track. Yet, at the back of her mind something was nagging her. Nanoha was never this…upset. She knew something had to have led her to these conclusions.

"Oh good I found you," some guy said breathless from the door. It was obvious that he had run around for some time. She recognized his face from the track and field team. "Captain said the team is meeting at 10 am tomorrow at the Uminari Athletics Stadium. And he confirmed that there was a place to buy food there, in case you wanted to, but no junk food," the boy laughed remembering the look on the captain's face to make sure he told all the athletes that part.

Fate replied him with a curt nod and a thank you. The guy was about to leave before something occurred to him and he turned back. "By the way Captain said you should keep your fans under wraps," He chuckled as he left, "They always come uninvited and cause such a scene."

Had the boy still been there, Fate would have thanked him to her utmost ability. How could she have forgotten? She hadn't even invited Nanoha yet. That would explain Nanoha's behavior yesterday. She must have felt left out and perhaps Ginga hadn't explained why exactly she was going to be there on Saturday. She felt stupid. But most of all disappointed in herself that she couldn't trust Nanoha with all this. This probably could have been avoided if she had just told Naonha.

She abruptly stood up from her chair and brought out her phone.

_I'm sorry. Roof? –Fate_

She knew that was all she needed to say to get Nanoha to come. The roof was their special place as well as for other couples. One could say it was one of the wonders, the first in fact, of the school. The roof was a place for couples to relax and be happy, a place where they could enjoy the view. It was an unspoken agreement that you don't go there when you're having troubles, you go there to fix them.

**Fate and Nanoha**

Nanoha looked at the message stunned. She was just about to go find Fate and tell her the same. She quickly replied she'd be there and started making her way up the stairs.

The brunette opened the door and was met with the blonde leaning over the railing. What caught her attention the most were the blonde's eyes. They no longer held the hurt and anger from the previous day. Instead, they held regret. She smiled. They both were feeling the same thing.

Nanoha walked over to the blonde. She was tempted to put a hand on Fate's arms, but decided against it. The two remained in silence for a while thinking over their past actions as well as enjoying the feeling of the other being so close again. A place they both knew they belonged; with each other.

It was Fate who broke the silence. "Nanoha, I'm really sorry for what happened. I shouldn't have said that. I knew it would upset you. I was just…angry. We're together…you have a right to know, to be concerned if I'm seeing anyone else. But I promise you I'm not and would never." She reached into one of her pockets and brought out the letter from before handing it over to Naonha. "It's from Hayate. She was asking how I was doing."

Nanoha looked the envelope over before handing it back; without reading its contents. When Fate looked at her questioningly, she simply shook her head. "I trust you. I was being overbearing yesterday. You deserve some space and privacy and I was taking that away from you. And when I saw that letter I expected you to ignore it, and from there I jumped from conclusion to blatantly wrong conclusion."

Fate moved closer to the brunette and cupped her cheek affectionately. "It's my fault as well for not answering you. I assumed you'd be mad if you found out it was from Hayate. I suppose I didn't trust you enough. I know better now."

Nanoha nuzzled into Fate's hand relishing in the warmth and comfort it provided. "I think we both know better now." She smiled and placed her hand on top of Fate's. The two stared at each other lost in the love shown each other's eyes. Slowly they came together. Their lips touch lightly as if asking the other if this was what they wanted. It was.

Fate dropped her hands to Nanoha's waist bringing her close and deepening the kiss. Nanoha did the same with her hands around the blonde's neck. She moved a hand over to Fate's cheek (the one she had slapped) and gently smoothed her hand over the surface easing it of any pain and another way to show how sorry she was. The brunette became more daring and darted her tongue out tracing the blonde's perfect lips. Fate responded in kind opening her mouth to allow the intrusion. Their tongue's danced and swirled as they truly explored each other's mouth for the first time in their relationship.

**Behind The Door To The Roof…**

"See, I told you they'd be able to fix the problem themselves." Suzuka told Arisa.

"Yeah, well, it would have been more fun if we got involved," Arisa responded slightly angry that she didn't get to put her plan into action. "And what is with this make-up kiss! I doubt they even remember their on school property! Geez!"

"Which is exactly why we're here: to make sure they don't get caught. I won't allow anyone to ruin this moment," Suzuka stood up and turned the handle to the door, "Except me of course." She finished sweetly. "Here you guys are! We've been looking all over for you!"

The couple froze completely. Their mouth still connected as their minds took a moment to register what had just happened. As soon as it came to them, they jumped apart cheeks flushed. "We were just…um…making-up for a little fight we had yesterday, right Fate?" "Right."

"I see," Arisa jumped in before Suzuka could embarrass them more. Sure she thought the kiss was over the top, but it was their moment. "Well class is about to start. Just thought we'd let you know."

"Ah, right!" Nanoha started for the door before something caught her arm. She looked back to see Fate had took a hold of it. Fate's face was still red from the fact that they'd been caught. Nanoha walked back over to the blonde. "Is something wrong, Fate?"

"Um…I've been meaning to ask you. Do you want to come to the track meet with me tomorrow? I mean if you're not busy or anything and if you can't then I understand…" she rambled on.

Nanoha smiled. That was another thing she liked about the blonde. Whenever she was embarrassed she became extremely flustered with her speech and made up for it by talking excessively. She placed her index finger on the blonde's lips; lips that she very much enjoyed kissing. "Of course I'll come. I'd very much like to, in fact." Fate smiled and brought her in for another quick kiss. This time they did not mind the audience.

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**A/N: Here it is finally. Sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to all those who are reading and reviewing.**


	7. Precia Testarossa

Summary: Nanoha and Fate have overcome the Jail Incident and are now dating. But what then? Follow the life of the two high schoolers as they make their way through high school together. Sequel to: A Time to Love.

Normal font = narrator

"Quotation marks" = things said aloud by characters

_"Italics font"_= the thoughts of characters

*asterisks* = onomatopoeia sounds and such

Disclaimer: I don't own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the characters, or any of the places in the story that might be mentioned. All of that belongs to its rightful distributors.

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**Thank you to all who have read, reviewed, favorited, and followed.**

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**Chapter: Precia Testarossa**

**Nanoha **

Precia Testarossa is a very strong-willed woman. There was no doubt about it. Her mere presence demanded respect: from her well-kept and tamed long, purple hair to her piercing eyes. It was due to her confidence that she was a renowned scientist in her field of biology. Of course, this was strictly the business side of her. To her daughter, Fate, she was a kind loving mother who cared for her with no restrictions. The same was true for her daughter's friends. She was always willingly to lend her house for the occasional get together. At least that is what Nanoha had thought. But seeing the situation now, that was then and this is now.

The purple-haired woman was _glaring_ at her. She wasn't trying to hide it either. It was a one way staring contest and there was no doubt who was winning. Precia's gaze made Nanoha want to crawl into a hole and disappear. Reaching over, fate placed a reassuring hand on Nanoha's knee; silently telling her it would work out. Nanoha smiled at the gesture.

The couple had decided it was time to tell their parents of their growing relationship. Yesterday had gone without a hitch at the Takamachi's house. They'd expected it to happen; it was just a matter of time. The day had been hours of endless teasing with Nanoha's family already calling Fate daughter and sister. And when it was time for the two to go their separate ways they'd confessed that they both weren't sure they were ever going to over that ordeal. Although, deep down, both were perfectly okay with the names that had been given to the blonde. It was a sign of good things to come.

Apparently, the good things weren't coming immediately.

After the positive reception from the brunette's family, Nanoha was expecting the same from the blonde's. She knew it wouldn't be as grand since there was only Precia living with Fate, but they were sure it would be equal in the amount happiness.

Again, apparently not. That was wishful thinking. This is reality. Precia Testarossa hates Nanoha Takamachi.

Over the phone, earlier that day, the blonde had warned her that Precia wouldn't be so receptive. _She'd left out the part of her being hostile _Nanoha thought to herself. At the time Nanoha had wanted to ask why, but the brunette had settled to not push it. Now, however, she is wishing she had. Perhaps the information would have allowed her to ease the tension going on in the sitting room. She would have maybe been able to come a bit more prepared.

The blue-eyed girl glanced down at what she was sporting. A plain t-shirt with a light jacket carelessly tossed on. Jeans that were ripped at the knees and shoes that were haphazardly tied together and, following in the jeans footsteps, were about to come undone at the sides near the soles covered her bottom half. Walking into the house Fate had complimented her stating that she "looked great!" She chanced a look at Precia making sure to avoid eye contact. The woman was able to hold that professional air even though she was dressed in-house clothes. Still her house clothes looked perfect. Her jeans still held a deep blue and as if they had just been bought the day before. The pair of jeans held no wrinkles and if Nanoha didn't know better she'd have thought they were ironed out moments before. She wore a yellow shirt that was covered by a suit-type jacket. All in all she was the definition of pristine. Perhaps Precia wanted someone who was a bit more…proper? The brunette had thought this would just be another casual meeting just as the past times she had come over. She should have come a bit more dressed up.

"Fate, you wanted to tell me something?" _Finally, conversation._ Nanoha could only breathe a sigh of relief. If anything some talking would relieve some of the tension in the room, but not all of it. This caused Nanoha to read into the question. Sure Precia had posed a question but it was obvious the purple-haired woman already knew the answer. From the look on her face she was daring Fate to give her _that_ response. Nanoha gulped. This ordeal would either end up bad or terrible.

Surprisingly, Fate perked up at the question, as if the ongoing battle between her mother and girlfriend wasn't apparent to her. "Yes, I did," The cheerful, happy tone of her voice was easily detectable. "Nanoha and I have started dating!" She added an extra pep on the last part hoping to get a positive reaction from her mother. She didn't. She didn't really expect it either.

Precia only stared back. Though a slight twitch in her eyebrow showed she was expecting more. What exactly more is was impossible to tell. The woman's face was a mask of indifference. It held no emotion. Nanoha didn't know it then, but her relationship with Precia Testarossa was changed forever with Fate's confession.

Precia abruptly stood up. "I'm going to start on dinner." She directed her gaze on Fate, deliberately ignoring the other member of the room. And with that she left towards the kitchen.

There was a moments beat between the two remaining occupants before Nanoha leaped out of her seat and faced Fate. "What was that?!" she whispered deathly quiet. The last thing she needed was for Precia to have more reasons to be mad at her. "She totally hates me! I haven't done anything to upset her, right?!

"Not that I'm aware of," the blonde replied honestly, "perhaps she just had a bad day at work or something…" The look in Fate's eyes told Nanoha that Fate was hiding something. She wanted to find out what she was keeping from her, but she couldn't. Because the brunette could see that whatever it was was hurting the blonde. It was easy to see that she didn't want to talk about it; not yet and maybe not ever. "Anyway, let's go to my room…"

The walk up the stairs was fast at first, but soon became endlessly long as it dawned on Nanoha that she hadn't been in Fate's room for a while. The last time that she remembers has to have been at least four, five months ago. By now the room could have changed drastically and the brunette started to wonder what exactly it would look like. Was it plain and simple? Littered with clutter? Posters? Finally they got to the door. She knew Fate wasn't doing it on purpose, or at all for that matter, but it seemed like she was opening the door slowly, teasing her.

The room was large like it was designed for two. Overall it was the same as Nanoha vaguely remembered it: open and neat. Everything had its place and was stored away. As she looked around she found a few papers on the desk which instantly reminded Nanoha of her assignments still lying around somewhere in her room. Eventually she stumbled across the bedside table. On it were plenty of pictures of her and Fate during their time in middle school as well as some from high school. Next to one of them was a picture of a younger Fate. She was in a small shirt and shorts and holding onto a stuffed animal. Nanoha couldn't place it, but the blonde looked different. She wouldn't have noticed the slight change if it weren't for the eyes. Fate had dark red eyes, while the picture presented them with a lighter shade. After looking at the picture for a moment longer, she shrugged. Innocence of youth she guessed might be the cause…Not that Fate wasn't still innocent in every sense of the word. She chanced a glance at her partner who was busy smoothing out wrinkles in her bed sheets. Her cheeks flushed. She shook her head and changed her guess to lighting. Yeah. That was a lot more reasonable.

Nanoha turned back to Fate who was now sitting on the bed watching her with an amused smile. She skipped over and joined her on the bed. Their hands wrapped together immediately. They gazed into each other's eyes and silently conveyed the love they had for each other.

Eventually the quiet, loved filled silence was broken. "Thanks for coming to my match the other day." Nanoha snuggled in closer and rested her head on Fate shoulder.

"No problem, it was really fun." Nanoha always enjoyed watching Fate run. The blonde held a deep determination when running and it allowed the brunette to see a different side of Fate: the competitive side. It was strange seeing it the first time since Fate had a kind, caring, and soft personality, but Nanoha soon learned it was a new aspect of Fate and, therefore, loved it all the same. "I especially liked the part at the end of your race."

"Yeah? What part was that?" Fate let out a soft chuckle knowing where this was going.

"Oh you know. When you crossed the finish line and…" she trailed off smiling.

"And what? I seem to need some reminding." The blonde raised her eyebrows amused.

"And this." Nanoha leaned in closer and placed a soft, lingering kiss to Fate's lips.

"Fate..." Precia walked in on the two. The teenagers instantly split apart at being caught kissing yet again. Precia's gaze told them she was not impressed by their behavior. The silent moment lasted a bit longer before the purplette broke it. "Dinner's ready," she glanced over at Nanoha, who immediately shifted her gaze down, before she left.

Nanoha didn't know what to say. It was clear now more than ever that Precia did not approve of their relationship. Fate noticed the rejected look in the brunette's eyes and placed her hand on top of her's.

"Hey, no matter what happens, I'll always love you. It does not matter if Mother supports my decision or not." She raised Nanoha's hand and placed a sweet kiss to it conveying all her love into it. "Now come on, dinner's ready."

The love in the blonde's eyes was bright and couldn't be misplaced. And for that she was glad. She wouldn't worry about Precia anymore. What mattered was Fate and only Fate.

Dinner was certainly a strange one. Precia would direct her attention on Fate pretending as if Nanoha weren't there. Fate would try to include the brunette by asking her opinion but those conversations were dead-end with Precia not participating. The dinner finished without too much of a hitch. The group cleaned up the dishes and Fate escorted Nanoha to the door.

Fate closed the door behind her as she turned to Nanoha.

"So..." Nanoha started. The experience was not something she expected. It was completely different from her parent's welcome.

"Sorry. I suppose that's really all I can say. I didn't expect her to react like that."

"It's okay. She's probably just protective of her little Fate."

"Look who's talking!" Fate joked as she stood to her full height.

"Yeah, yeah, enjoy it while you can! I'm still growing!" she replied crossing her arms and pouting playfully.

The two teenagers leaned closer together and playfully nuzzled their nose as they said their final goodbyes. Little did they know that they were being watched.

"Fate…I hope you're making the right choice."

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**A/N: Finally an update. Sorry for the wait. Anyway here's Precia's first appearance. And she just like any other mother-in-law. Love your child, hate the spouse. Anyway she'll have a bigger role in a later chapter. This one just sets up her character. Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


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